Osteo Science Foundation Awards Nearly 200K Dollars in Research Grants

PHILADELPHIA, July 21, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of the Osteo Science Foundation has awarded its inaugural four research grants, totaling close to $200,000, to researchers at Columbia University, Indiana University, Rutgers University and UCLA.   The research projects focus on applied developments and treatment concepts in regenerative medicine for clinical application in Oral, Cranial and Maxillofacial surgery.

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Each of the four projects aligns with the vision of Osteo Science Foundation, which is to advance hard and soft tissue regeneration in Oral, Cranial and Maxillofacial Surgery through research and education.

• Dr. Tara Aghaloo, UCLA:  "Hard and Soft Tissue Engineering to Regenerate Mandibular Segmental Defects;" 
• Dr. Tienmin Chu, Indiana University: "Thrombopoietin in Cranial Regeneration"
• Dr. Sidney Eisig, Columbia University: "Tracking cells and biomaterial remodeling in tissue engineered bone graft;"
• Dr. Hilton Kaplan, Rutgers University: "Decellularized neurovascual bundle for craniomaxillofacial reconstruction."

Dr. Jay P. Malmquist, Chairman of the Foundation Board of Directors, states that, "For our first grant cycle, we were so pleased with the quantity and caliber of the applications we received.  Our Scientific Review Committee was charged with evaluating these novel and important proposals, and we are confident that the excellent research projects we are funding will have significant impacts both on the medical community and the patients we serve.  While the Foundation's focus is in hard and soft tissue regeneration, our ultimate goal is improved outcomes for our patients.  I know the entire Board of Directors eagerly anticipates the results."

Osteo Science Foundation will be offering grants on a semi-annual basis; the next submission period for grant proposals is October 1 – December 1, 2014.  All grant proposals must be submitted online.

Joining Dr. Malmquist on the Osteo Science Foundation Board of Directors are Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons Dr. Alan S. Herford, Chairman and Program Director of the Department of OMS Residency Program at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry, and Dr. Peter K. Moy, Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, UCLA School of Dentistry.  Greg Bosch, the CEO of Geistlich North America, also sits on the Board of Directors.

About Osteo Science Foundation
Operating as an independent, privately funded non-profit organization, the Osteo Science Foundation was established in 2013 by Geistlich Pharma, the global leader in regenerative medicine for dental and oral-maxillofacial surgery. 

To learn more about our grantees or to receive Osteo Science Foundation's e-newsletter, please visit www.osteoscience.org or contact the Executive Director, Andrea Boidman, at [email protected].

SOURCE Osteo Science Foundation